This Thing Called Life
by LivForever
Summary: The life of Olivia and Brian is never simple. Especially when someone is targeting the whole precinct.


Brian and Olivia had been home from work for only an hour now and the snow storm seemed to rage on outside. There was an empty pizza box on the coffee table where they had finished dinner and two empty glasses of wine. The television hummed in the background as Brian flipped through the channels, eventually settling on a recap of the earlier basketball game. Olivia was cuddled on top of Brian on the couch with a blanket draped over both of them as she tried to get some sleep. So far she wasn't having any luck. Brian gently ran his hand up and down Olivia's back, soothing her the best way he knew how. She had had a long day at work and laying in Brian's arms always made it better.

"Oh no," Olivia groaned as her eyes remained shut.

"What's the matter?" Brian asked, seemingly worried.

"I forgot to submit a file to Barba before I left. I told him I would have it sent to him by eight."

Brian looked down at his watch and saw the time, "it's already nine. He hasn't called yet so don't sweat it. You can always turn it in first thing in the morning."

Olivia sighed and mumbled something but Brian couldn't make out what she said. The gentle strokes Brian was making on her back sent tingles through her body and she never wanted to move from that position. She thought about her day at work and how most of it had been spent chasing down a perp who seemed to be an Olympic runner in another life. Her bones had a deep ache to them and her feet were throbbing. She wished she could be twenty and careless again. "Can we just sleep here tonight?"

"No," Brian answered quickly, "we would regret it in the morning."

"I don't want to move," Olivia protested, "it's comfy here."

"It will be even more comfy in our bed where we can have more room to cuddle."

Olivia turned her head so her right cheek was laying against his chest, "I'm so sleepy."

"Come on," Brian said as he pulled Olivia's shirt back down over her exposed back, "let's go to bed." Brian moved to get up and Olivia groaned in protest but reluctantly followed him into the bedroom. She didn't even bother changing into her pajamas because at this point she didn't care. She had been trying to fall asleep for the last hour but she had yet to succumb to it. Being in command of a whole precinct was hard work and now she understood why Cragen had a cot in his office.

"We're out of milk," Olivia announced randomly as she cuddled into Brian's side under the blanket.

"I will pick some up tomorrow," he said, "stop thinking about what's in the fridge and go to sleep."

"You can't have your morning cereal without any milk," she added, "what are you going to have for breakfast?"

Brian shrugged, "Toast? That doesn't matter, that's tomorrow and we still have to sleep before then."

"I can't," Olivia complained, "my brain won't turn off."

Brian wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer to him and held her tight. Their body heat was mixing together and forming a shield to keep the snowy outside air away. He kissed her temple and then began running his fingers through her silky hair.

"Try," Brian whispered and before long he could hear the quiet snores that used to keep him up all night. Now the sound was like music to his hears.

Sleep didn't last long enough when the shrill sound of Olivia's cell phone ringing woke the both of them up. "No," Olivia complained as she buried her head into the crook of Brian's neck, "just let it go to voicemail."

Brian didn't protest and ignored the ringing until the room was quiet again. He had just closed his eyes when the sound played again, angering Olivia and making her pull away from him. She grabbed her phone off the nightstand and pressed it to her ear, "Benson," she barked. She was silent for a moment as she listened to the person on the other end and she hung up without saying another word. She sat up and turned to Brian with an exhausted look on her face, "That was Fin. Nick's been shot."

"I'm up," Brian said as he threw his covers back and climbed out of bed. "So much for a good night's rest."

Brian got up and turned the coffee pot on while Olivia changed into an outfit different from the one she wore to work yesterday. When she was done she joined Brian in the kitchen and gladly accepted the cup of coffee he handed her.

"I'll see you later." Olivia planted a quick kiss on Brian's lips before grabbing her coat and heading out into the cold weather that she just couldn't seem to escape. Nick was suppose to have gone home when she did so she wasn't sure how he had ended up shot. If was up to his games again then she was going to have a serious talk with him. She was tired of everyone thinking they could push her around. She was in charge now and she was damned if she was going to let people walk all over her.

As she stood outside waiting for a cab she pulled her coat around her tighter. She just wanted to be inside cuddled with Brian again as they both slept soundly. It wasn't every day that they were both home in time to go to bed together and the one night it happened in the last month; was ruined. She was pissed... until she got to the hospital.

"What happened?" she demanded to know.

Fin stood up from one of the plastic chairs in the waiting room and joined her in the hallway. "Somebody broke into his apartment. He had just enough time to tell Zara to run to the neighbor's before the man pulled his gun out and fired."

Olivia sighed, "so he wasn't at work?"

Fin shook his head. "No. He didn't get a look at the man's face either."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah," Fin stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked Olivia straight in the eyes, "whoever shot him is after the whole precinct."


End file.
